


Better.

by softjoonie



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Polyamory, because im trash, but then he wakes up to his boyfriends, i dont know what to tag this, mingyu has a bad dream, they call mingyu pup, u just have to read it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-11 10:08:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11146260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softjoonie/pseuds/softjoonie
Summary: He listened to the sound of rain falling against the window, Minghao's breathing against his ear, and cars driving down the street, most people trying to make their way to work at 5:23 in the morning."How are you feeling, pup?" Minghao asked quietly, Wonwoo pausing to wait for his answer."Better."





	Better.

Sometimes Mingyu just needs a little help with some things. Not big things, but the little things, like brushing his hair, putting his shoes on, and falling asleep. He's not sure why, but he appreciates it when the other boys help him in his daily routine. So when he wakes up in the morning, he's a bit shocked when no one is rushing to help him get ready for his shower. He's startled when he realizes everyone he shares a room with is gone. And he's absolutely terrified when he finishes his shower and realizes that the entire dorm is empty.

  
Slinging the towel over his shoulders, Mingyu reaches for his phone on the bedside table, opening it to find no messages. Not a single one. There isn't even one from Seungcheol who is the most likely to leave a message saying that they're going out and where to find them if he needs someone. He pouts, putting his phone back down.

  
The boy shrugs, beginning his daily routine on his own, pulling on a pair of boxer shorts and sweatpants, then a sweatshirt he's almost certain belonged to Minghao at one point but has made its way into Mingyu's closet one too many times to belong to the younger boy anymore.

  
Mingyu frowns, his eyebrows pulling to furrow as he walks out into the living room to see the entire space a mess, like everyone had just... Left.  
With his phone in hand, he dials Seungcheol's number, heaving a sigh when the man doesn't answer and he has to leave a voicemail. "Um, Seungcheol-hyung, hi. I, um... I don't know where anyone is and I was... I was just wondering if you all went out this morning and forgot to tell me? Um, yeah... If you could call me back that would be grea-"

  
The boy's message was cut off, his time limit being up for his message. He stared at the device, his lips jutting into a pout as his eyes narrowed. _Never mind_ , he thought. _I'll just call him back in an hour if he doesn't call me._

  
Setting the phone on the coffee table, he decided to try and tidy up the room. He moved the game controllers back into the bins, straightened out the table, and brought the dirty dishes to the sink before he sat on the couch, turning on the TV. Nothing on was good enough to catch his interest. But then again, what _was_ good at ten in the morning on a Tuesday? The tall boy relaxed back against the cushions, his phone in hand as he opened it to scroll through social media.

  
He took a picture for Twitter, captioning it something about having a day off before getting back up. Looking around for a moment, he frowned for the nth time, never noticing how big the dorm was due to there always being at least nine of thirteen members crammed in the living room and kitchen.

  
It felt empty.

He wasn't used to having the place all to himself and he didn't like it.

Sighing quietly through his nose, Mingyu stalked towards the kitchen, deciding to make himself some breakfast. Nothing too fancy, just some eggs and toast, to soothe his grumbling stomach. When he'd finished buttering the toast, he sat at the counter, his phone open and playing music when it pinged, alerting him of a notification.  
His heart thumped, thinking it was a text from Seungcheol or maybe Wonwoo but his excitement deflated when it was just a notification from an app he had.

He grumbled before deleting the app out of frustration.

-

"Hey, Seungcheol-hyung, it's Mingyu again. I, um... I woke up and you all were gone and I just wanted to know when you guys were coming back. I cleaned up the kitchen and living room and it's been about four hours since I woke up and it looks like it's gonna rain so if you could cal-"

  
Once again, he was interrupted by the machine cutting him off. He was going to have to learn to get to the point faster. But it wasn't his fault. He just tended to ramble when he was nervous and not knowing where the rest of the members was pretty nerve wracking.

  
He tossed his phone to his side on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Generally, he didn't mind being alone and just relaxing. But he usually had other people to do things with when he got bored and _did_ want to do stuff. This, however, was not relaxing. At least not for the most part, anyways.

  
Maybe he was just overreacting. This was probably just some hidden camera prank or maybe the rest of members were out doing different things respectively? But then again, even when they did things on their own and didn't tell someone where they were going verbally, they at least left a sticky note on the fridge or on a piece of paper on the counter. But there wasn't any note. There wasn't anything. The only trace that any of the other boys were ever there was that the living room was messy beyond belief when he woke up, meaning that someone was in there before he woke up. There were also dirty dishes in the sink and the bread wasn't put back correctly.

 _Maybe they finally decided to leave you_ , a voice spoke at the back of his head, making him furrow his eyebrows.

  
_No, they wouldn't. They love me_ , he argued back to that niggling voice. _Especially Wonwoo and Minghao._  

  
He tried to reassure himself that everything was okay. That he was okay.

  
Deciding he'd rather spend his time doing something productive today, he got up from the bed, shivering from the lack of warmth by the air conditioning. Mingyu walked down the hall, towards the bathroom to brush his teeth and fix his hair before grabbing a black face mask and changing into some clothes more suitable for dancing and getting sweaty in.

-

When Mingyu stepped through the doors of the Pledis building, he was expecting it to be quiet but not this quiet.

As he walked through the halls, he called out for someone, anyone, to talk to. To ask if they knew where the members had gone. He even searched through meeting rooms and the practice rooms. But everywhere was empty. There was no sign of life. No managers, no receptionists, not even other members of other Pledis groups.

  
Frowning, he walked back down the hall and into a practice room, setting his bag down and plugging his phone into the speaker system to work on the dance for their latest comeback. He'd been struggling a bit with the floor work and decided itd be the best thing to work on for the time being.

  
Settling to his knees, the boy waited till the chorus kicked in, rolling his neck to the side to stretch it, wincing when the joints popped. As the music slowed after Seokmin's part, Mingyu reached his arms out, moving them like Soonyoung had taught them all. He moved smoothly, the movements feeling natural as they'd gone over the part upwards of a hundred times. However, when it came time for him to push up and move his feet, he felt his elbows nearly give, face falling towards the floor. He caught himself in time and sighed, sitting back on his knees and repeating the looped part until he eventually decided he'd had enough of the sequence.

  
He stood, stretching his arms above his head to crack his shoulders and elbows, back realigning itself as well when he looked in the mirror for the first time that day. His hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat and his white t-shirt was clinging to his stomach. He pulled it away from his skin, letting out a heavy breath while trying to calm his heart rate.

  
His phone pinged again as his loop ended, the next song coming on. He heaved another breath, thankful that it wasn't a Seventeen song before pacing around the room, shaking out his legs and stretching his knees. He checked his phone once more, his eyes lighting up when he saw a text message from Seungcheol.

  
**From: Cheollie-hyung!! ^-^**  
**[4:27pm]**  
**We're sorry, but the number you have reached has been disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel this is an error, please check the number and try again.**

  
Mingyu frowned again, worrying somewhere in the back of his mind that his face would get stuck in a permanent scowl if he continued to frown.

  
**To: Cheollie-hyung!! ^-^**  
**[4:31pm]**  
**seungcheol-hyung~~ why is it saying that ur number can't be reached? did pledis take away our phones again? wait~ they didn't because i'm texting you!! where are you all, hyung? i'm worried. please come back soon~ ^o^**  
**From: Cheollie-hyung!! ^-^**  
**[4:32pm]**  
**We're sorry, but the number you have reached has been disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel this is an error, please check the number and try again.**

  
When he received the message again, Mingyu let out a soft _hmph_ , not understanding why his messages weren't going through when they'd worked earlier. He even was able to call him! Four times! So why wasn't it working now? Sitting back on his butt, Mingyu pouted, sulking into himself a little. _Maybe I should just go home_.

  
Figuring that was his best bet, Mingyu began to pack up his things, pulling a fresh pair of clothes out of his bag and heading to the showers to clean himself up, to wipe the sweat away and clear his head from the thoughts that were filling his brain.

  
The warm water that fell down his skin definitely helped to ease his muscles, tightened from dancing. It even helped to cleanse his skin from the stickiness of the sweat. It didn't, however, cleanse his mind of the scenarios he was coming up with in his head. Maybe the members will be back at the dorm? They probably just thought it best to leave Mingyu to rest. He had been practicing really hard as of late, what with his new lines for the album being singing ones rather than rap lines. The choreo for the new title track had also given him some issues, leading to him and Soonyoung staying up late in the practice studio and working till his knees were bruised and he could barely stand straight.  
_They're probably tired of me,_ he thought to himself. He'd been extra needy these past few weeks leading up to their comeback. He'd needed Seokmin and Seungkwan more than before, asking them for pointers and tips on how to sing certain lines. Thinking back, he remembered seeing the annoyance on Seungkwan's face when he'd asked the younger for help. Even Jeonghan and Joshua seemed a bit annoyed with him.

  
He'd also been asking Seungcheol and Wonwoo for more attention, needing more help with those little things due to his mind being smaller some days more so than others. He'd spent more hours asking Minghao to brush his hair and to rub his back when he was having trouble sleeping. He'd also asked maybe one too many times for kisses when he was feeling at his smallest.

  
Bringing a hand up to his cheek, Mingyu wiped away the tear droplets he hadn't even realized had started to fall. He doesn't remember starting to cry, nor does he even know what are his tears and what's just the water from the shower.

  
Once he'd turned the water off, he grabbed his towel from his bag, rubbing away the water droplets and running the fabric through his hair. He dried his body off, making sure he wasn't wet as he'd hated the feeling of being wet while wearing clothes. He pulled on new boxers, some track pants, and a sweatshirt, bringing the sleeves up to his nose and smiling, just the slightest, when he realized it smelled like Minghao, burying his face in the cotton fabric.

  
Mingyu pulled his shoes on and hiked his bag up onto his shoulder, walking from the showers and out into the hallway. It was still quiet. Now even more due to there being no music playing. Bringing a hand to his face, he rubbed his swollen, red eyes, sniffling as he walked out of the large building and into the rainy town center of Gangnam. " _Shit_ ," he muttered, pulling the hood of his-Minghao's-sweatshirt over his head, running in the direction of the nearest bus stop. He flinched when lightning struck across the sky, thunder crackling behind. "Fuck the bus stop," he groaned, running in the direction of the dorm building, figuring that it'd be quicker to run there than to wait who knows how long till the bus comes.

  
He'd gotten half way to the dorms before the rain had picked up, turning into a torrential downpour, complete with thunder and lightning, enough to cause him to hide in an abandoned convenience store, curled up and crying. His shoulders shook with the power of his sobs, feeling a bit pathetic that something as simple as thunder had him so frightened.

  
His clothes were soaked, the scent of Minghao dripping off of the material along with the raindrops that dripped from his fingertips. Pulling his phone out, he wiped at the wet screen, dialing Seungcheol's number again for a fifth time. Went it sent him to voicemail, he let out another sob, his voice cracking as he spoke into the receiver.

  
"Ch-Cheol-hyung? Where a-are you? Where's Wonw-oo? Minghao? It's raining a-and I don't know where I am and there's a lot of thunder 'nd I can't-I don't-"

  
" _Mingyu_?" Spoke a voice, startling him into dropping the phone. He scrambled after a moment, picking the phone up and speaking again, this time his voice cracking twice.

  
"Hello? Wonwoo? H-Hao? Where are you guys? I've been looking everyw-where for you and I don't know where I am... Where are y-you? Are you s-"

  
" _Mingyu, wake up_ ," the voice spoke again. It resembled Minghao's voice, making him release a sob as he so desperately wanted to see Minghao and Wonwoo again. He wanted to feel their hands on his skin. He wanted to hold the older one's hands and he wanted to feel the younger's fingers thread through his hair while Wonwoo read to him during a thunderstorm, much like the one that was wreaking havoc among the central Seoul area. " _'Gyu, baby, wake up. Let me see those eyes_ ," they continued.

  
Mingyu shouted when he felt hands on his shoulders, his eyes shooting open as he sat up quickly, hair stuck to his forehead and breathing heavy. He looked around for a moment, his eyes adjusting to the dark before he felt the bunkbed dip behind him as warm arms pulled him back against a strong, broad chest. "Shh, you're okay, little pup."

  
Gasping, the boy let out a sob as he turned, hiding his face in Wonwoo's chest, gripping the soft fabric of his t-shirt. Those arms that he'd thought escaped him wrapped around his his waist tighter as a new yet familiar hand threaded its way through his dark, black locks and another warm body rested against his back.

  
"Mingyu-ah? Little pup, it's Hao. Breathe, baby," he spoke softly, nuzzling his nose along the sweat stained expanse of his spine. The boy trailed a finger down bronze skin, tracing shapes softly, leaving goosebumps in its wake as he left a soft kiss against the top knob of Mingyu's spine.

  
He struggled for a minute, coughing and spluttering as he tried to catch a breath, the air of the room feeling cold against his damp skin. "H-Hao? H-Hyung?" he whispered, his hands shaking a little as he brought them up to his eyes and rubbed harshly, whimpering as he sniffled and wiped at his nose and cheeks.

  
"We're here, pup. Easy, don't hurt yourself."

  
That was Wonwoo. He always knew Wonwoo's voice. He knew Wonwoo's voice like he knew his way to the bathroom at four 4 a.m. when the hallways are at their darkest. He knew it better than he knew himself. And he absolutely reveled in the way his voice seemed to grow deeper and more gravelly the softer Mingyu's brain became.

  
He brought his hands down, sniffling again as he leaned back against Minghao's chest, head falling to the boy's shoulder.

  
"You were crying in your sleep. Did you have a bad dream again?"

  
That was Minghao. And while he wasn't as familiar with the sound and timbre of his second lover's voice, he was more than familiar with the scent that encompassed him. He smelled of green apple shampoo and citrus body wash and when he sprayed on his cologne it smelled of cinnamon and it was such an odd combination but God, was it one that he loved smelling and would never get tired of.

  
Nodding slowly, Mingyu felt Wonwoo move closer to the two of them, bringing a large hand up to the younger's face before brushing soft knuckles against his cheekbone to bring the boy's head into an upright position, the two locking eyes. Mingyu's lip trembled when he saw the look of concern on his face.

  
"You wanna tell us about it?" Wonwoo's soft thumb brushed against Mingyu's bottom lip as he watched the digit before slipping it between the two plump, rosy lips for the boy to suck on. As the lips wrapped around his thumb, Wonwoo smiled fondly, the edge of his lips quirking upwards before he pulled it back out and brought his hand down to lace his fingers with Mingyu's. Minghao sat still, his fingertips never ceasing movement along the dull knobs of his backbone. He wasn't much one for talking to soothe but rather, he quite liked to illicit calming actions, preferring to touch the skin of his boyfriend to pacify him.

  
They worked in that way. Minghao preferred touch to talking while Wonwoo was more adept for talking, giving Mingyu comfort through words and a voice deeper than the Marianas Trench. It even lulled him to sleep, sometimes. Especially when he was reading to Mingyu or singing while preparing the bath.

  
Mingyu nodded, bringing Minghao back from his reverie. "I-I... I woke up and... And none of you were here. Not you or Minghao or any of the other guys. It was like... You'd all just u-up and left m-me," he whispered after looking to make sure Jihoon, Seungcheol, and Jeonghan were asleep. "I even went to the Pledis building a-and... And no one was there. No staff, no managers... And then it started raining, with..."

  
"With thunder," both Minghao and Wonwoo finished for him, their arms wrapping around him tighter as he shook. The two looked at one another, Wonwoo nodding before attempting to move so he could climb down. Mingyu, on the other hand, was not too fond of the idea, gripping the elder's arm as he let out a whimper, looking up at him with teary, puppy-dog eyes.

  
"Don't... Where are you going?"

  
He sounded panicked and it hurt raven haired boy's heart, to see his boyfriend so shaken. "I'm just going to get a book. Do you want me to read to you?" he asked quietly, leaning close to Mingyu's face.

  
"I... Yes, please. I'd like that."

  
Looking up at Minghao, Mingyu smiled just the slightest, blinking slowly before a stroke of lightning flashed across the window and through the blinds, making Mingyu yelp, burying his face in the soft chest of his younger boyfriend.

The boy laughed quietly, petting Mingyu's hair as rain started to fall against the glass, the pitter-patter of water droplets against the panes soothing him despite the crack of thunder that rattled his bones. "You're okay, 'gyu. Wonwoo and I are here now. We're all here. The other guys are just sleeping."

"Yeah... Yeah, you're here." He nuzzled his face against the soft skin of Minghao's bicep. "C'n I have your sweater? The red one I always steal...?" he asked timidly, the youngest of the three nodding as he smiled as well, looking at Wonwoo.

"Grab my sweatshirt on the way back? We're gonna go into the living room. I'll grab his blanket," he informed, moving the two of them forward towards the ladder. Mingyu moved first, climbing down on shaky legs as he waited for Wonwoo to follow and Minghao to come suit.

Minghao laced his fingers with Mingyu's thick, rough ones before pulling his down the dark hall and into the living room, which was clean and almost looked untouched, contrary to his dream. Helping him to sit on the couch, the Chinese boy moved to the linen closet, reaching up to the top shelf to grab Mingyu's special blanket that they used during thunder storms. It was a dark green, the fabric soft to the touch and even softer against his cheek when Wonwoo rubbed it there to get him to sleep.

Just as Minghao brought the blanket back, Wonwoo was coming down the hall, a book in his hand along with his glasses, the ones Mingyu could never get tired of seeing the older man in, and Minghao's bright red sweatshirt, which he helped Mingyu into.

The three sat comfortable, Mingyu leaned up against Wonwoo with his legs underneath him as Minghao leaned against Mingyu, a hand rubbing against the skin of Mingyu's bare thigh as Mingyu managed to pull the sleeves down past his palms, breathing in the scent of citrus and green apple and cinnamon. He listened to a deep, gruff voice read him a story about a train who tries with all his might to make it uphill.

He listened to the sound of rain falling against the window, Minghao's breathing against his ear, and cars driving down the street, most people trying to make their way to work at 5:23 in the morning.

"How are you feeling, pup?" Minghao asked quietly, Wonwoo pausing to wait for his answer.

"Better."


End file.
